"There you are," Alan said angrily. "First thing you do is laugh. A
spacewarp drive is just some hairbrained scheme to you. But haven't you
ever considered that Earth's scientists won't bother developing such a
drive for us if we don't care ourselves? They're just as happy the way
things are. _They_ don't have to worry about the Fitzgerald
Contraction."
"But there's been steady research on a hyperdrive, hasn't there? Ever
since Cavour, I thought."
"On and off. But they don't take it very seriously and they don't get
anywhere with it. If they'd really put some men to work they'd find
it--and then there wouldn't be any more Enclaves or any Fitzgerald
Contraction, and we starmen could live normal lives."
"And your brother--he wouldn't be cut off from his people the way he
is----"
"Sure. But you laughed instead of thinking."
Quantrell looked contrite. "Sorry. Guess I didn't put much jet behind my
think-machine that time. But a hyperdrive would wipe out the Enclave
system, wouldn't it?"
"Of course! We'd be able to come home from space and take a normal part
in Earth's life, instead of pulling away and segregating ourselves
here."
Alan looked up at the seemingly unreachable towers of the Earther city
just across the river from the Enclave. Somewhere out there was Steve.
And perhaps somewhere out there was someone he could talk to about the
hyperdrive, someone influential who might spur the needed research.
The Earther city seemed to be calling to him. It was a voice that was
hard to resist. He savagely jammed down deep inside him the tiny inner
voice that was trying to object. He turned, looking backward at the
dingy dreary buildings of the Enclave.
He looked then at Quantrell. "You said you've been wanting to break
loose. You want to get out of the Enclave, eh, Kevin?"
"Yes," Quantrell said slowly.
Alan felt excitement beginning to pound hard in the pit of his stomach.
"How'd you like to go outside there with me? See the Earther city?"
"You mean _jump ship_?"
The naked words, put just that bluntly, stung. "No," Alan said, thinking
of how his father's face had gone stony the time Alan had told him Steve
wasn't coming back. "I mean just going out for a day or so--a sort of
change of air. It's five days till the _Valhalla's_ due to blast off,
and you say the _Encounter_ is stuck here indefinitely. We could just go
for a day or so--just to see what it's like out there."
Quantrell was silent a long time.
"Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last. "We'll just go out, and have
a look around, just to see what it's like out there." He fell silent
again. Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's
cheek. He felt strangely calm himself, a little to his own surprise.
Then Quantrell smiled and the confidence returned to his tanned face.
"I'm game. Let's go!"
But Rat was quizzical about the whole enterprise when Alan returned to
his room to get him.
"You aren't serious, Alan. You really are going over to the Earther
city?"
Alan nodded and gestured for the little extra-terrestrial to take his
usual perch. "Are you daring to take my word in vain, Rat?" he asked in
mock histrionics. "When I say I'm going to do something, I do it." He
snapped closed his jacket and flipped the switch controlling the archaic
fluorescent panels. "Besides, you can always stay here if you want to,
you know."
"Never mind," Rat said. "I'm coming." He leaped up and anchored himself
securely on Alan's shoulder.
Kevin Quantrell was waiting for them in front of the building. As Alan
emerged Rat said, "One question, Alan."
"Shoot."
"Level, now: are you coming back--or are you going over the way Steve
did?"
"You ought to know me better than that. I've got reasons for going out,
but they're not Steve's reasons."
"I hope so."
Quantrell came up to them, and it seemed to Alan that there was
something unconvincing about his broad grin. He looked nervous. Alan
wondered whether he looked the same way.
"All set?" Quantrell asked.
"Set as I'll ever be. Let's go."
Alan looked around to see if anybody he knew might be watching. There
was no one around. Quantrell started walking, and Alan fell in behind
him.
"I hope you know where you're going," Alan said. "Because I don't."
Kevin pointed down the long winding street. "We go down to the foot of
this street, turn right into Carhill Boulevard, head down the main drive
toward the bridge. The Earther city is on the other side of the river."
"You better be right."
They made it at a fairly good clip through the sleepy Enclave, passing
rapidly through the old, dry, dusty streets. Finally they came to the
end of the street and rounded the corner onto Carhill Boulevard.
The first thing Alan saw was the majestic floating curve of the bridge.
Then he saw the Earther city, a towering pile of metal and masonry that
seemed to be leaping up into the sky ahead of them, completely filling
the view.